WASHINGTON – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Whip Steny Hoyer and Caucus Chair Bob Menendez released the following statement today in support of House Democrats’ tech friendly agenda and H.R. 49, the Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act, which permanently extends the moratorium on Internet access taxes and multiple and discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce by state or local governments:

“We are pleased that the House passed this legislation with strong bipartisan backing. The solid Democratic support for this legislation highlights our continued commitment to and advocacy of issues important to the tech community.

“Taxes on Internet access would be an impediment to our nation’s economic growth by discouraging consumers from purchasing advanced Internet services such as those provided through DSL, cable broadband, or optical fiber. Likewise, any multiple or discriminatory taxes would hinder the development of electronic commerce.

“This legislation sends a strong signal to the technology community and consumers about the importance of the Internet and e-commerce in our daily lives and to our nation’s economic growth. At the same time, given the challenging fiscal situation that state and local governments face right now, we must ensure that the passage of this legislation does not lessen the momentum for Congress to commit to and work with the states to enact state sales tax simplification.

“The House Democratic Agenda as a whole encourages the growth of the technology sector. The House Democratic Economic Stimulus plan introduced earlier this year would have bolstered the tech sector by expanding accelerated depreciation for capital investment and increasing expensing provisions for small business. It was also a fiscally responsible alternative to the budget-busting Republican plan that recognized the needs of state and local governments and allowed future investment in our nation’s priorities that are shared with the tech community such as science, math and technology education.

“Democrats also support innovation by backing stem cell research and therapeutic cloning, funding for the National Science Foundation and investment in research and development. The Caucus also cast votes critically important to our national security and to retaining our competitive edge in the technology industry, with a strong majority voting to update the metric used for export controls.

“Finally, within the Democratic Caucus there are several key groups with task forces that focus on the needs of the tech community – including the Blue Dog Coalition, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition”